Frustratie bij GVB-medewerkers: hoge werkdruk, te lage vergoeding

For years, employees of public transport company GVB have been frustrated about various issues: excessive workloads, insufficient compensation for the demanding work, poor communication, and a lack of clarity. For the past two months, hundreds of employees have been supporting urgent letters, and an action committee is currently in talks with unions to hopefully make progress. Management is also involved. "It's everywhere; there's not just one department where things are going wrong." This is how Henk de Vries summarizes the problems and concerns among GVB employees. In August, an action committee will be formed by ardent employees representing a group of hundreds of employees who share the same message: concerns about the work environment are spiraling out of control. Rebellion against GVB "There's no single culprit, there's no general uprising against the company. But there are many areas where things are going wrong," says De Vries on behalf of the action committee. Several transport departments are affected: metro, bus, tram, and ferries. But it's also a series of issues: "A new scheduling system, limited rest periods between trips, tight driving times, insufficient communication," he continues. More than a hundred points have been raised among the driving staff. Three urgent letters have been written in the past two months. The latest arrived last weekend: "We've become vulnerable and tired of unattainable demands and the blind spots of our leaders. Somewhere deep inside, that old GVB heart still beats. Perhaps weak, but it's alive. We want it to beat strongly again—with pride, with warmth, with service, with humanity." The action group emphasizes that they're not necessarily against GVB, but they do want to be able to help passengers: "We want to answer their questions, but we don't have the time for that anymore. We work for the passengers." According to De Vries, the cause of the problem is clear: "The people at the head office have no idea what's happening in practice." Members of a WhatsApp group of concerned employees agree. "You never see anyone from higher up on the tram, except when something's broken," says one of them. Discussions with management The works council, the FNV (Dutch Federation of Trade Unions), the CNV (Dutch Federation of Trade Unions), and the director of operations are now meeting with the action group. Meetings have been held regularly since the beginning of October to discuss the problem. Whether these discussions will lead to a solution remains to be seen. The FNV shares the employees' concerns and assumes management has good intentions, as they are already in discussions with the action group. When asked if Henk has confidence in the group, he says: "Yes, what is confidence? Of course, minor issues are being addressed, but the equipment defect, for example, hasn't been resolved yet." According to Henk, the GVB (public transport company) should address the real problems. ❌ ❌ ❌ AT5 - Real Amsterdam News Subscribe to our YouTube channel here:    / at5   Tips or comments? WhatsApp: 06 511 909 38 Phone: 020 555 1155 Follow AT5: www.at5.nl Instagram: instagram.com/at5.nl Facebook: facebook.com/at5nl Twitter: twitter.com/at5